


holy night

by brave (orphan_account)



Series: A Miraculous Christmas [15]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, vague papa garou spoilers, vague season 3 finale spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21733570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/brave
Summary: all is brightcompanion piece tosilent night
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Tom Dupain, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tom Dupain
Series: A Miraculous Christmas [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1553656
Comments: 3
Kudos: 63





	holy night

Tom doesn't remember what happened during his time as Papa Garou.

He doesn't check the Ladyblog, he doesn't ask Sabine, he doesn't ask Marinette. An unspoken agreement has been made within their family, not to talk about anything if anyone got Akumatized, unless otherwise asked. 

But his curiosity peaks, because even though he's forgotten most of what happened, he remembers Chat Noir.

He remembers the boy's determination to save him and Marinette.

He also remembers a loneliness, curiously enough.

He doesn't remember the words, but he remembers the feeling they brought him. A momentary feeling of guilt and pity in a sea of blinding rage.

He finds himself wanting to know about the boy behind the mask. What could he have said that would strike a chord within Papa Garou?

* * *

Tom knows Marinette is Ladybug. He had had his suspicions because she'd be gone at odd hours of the night (which at first had scared him because he thought she was going through a rebellious phase), and they were all confirmed one night when Ladybug was careless enough not to notice Tom peeking into Marinette's room to check on her before he went to bed himself, as she was leaving through her skylight.

So, his daughter's a superhero.

He's more worried than he is mad, and more proud than he is worried.

Ladybug was a good model to everyone in Paris (and even outside), and that was his one and only daughter.

She sacrificed so much for Paris.

She and Chat Noir.

(Huh. So Chat Noir is in love with his daughter. How ironic that he would reject her for her.)

Tom wonders again if he will come back once they find out about each other's identity. Maybe they'll have a good laugh about it.

He remembers a feeling of sadness.

(Maybe once they know each other, Marinette can help that boy smile.)

* * *

Tom wants to protect Marinette from anyone that has ever made her cry.

Especially now, as he watches her try to hold in her tears. Her heart has been broken once again, and it seems now, it cuts deeper than when Chat Noir had rejected her.

Tom knows who it is that could empower or break his daughter like this. (It seems he has chosen the latter, albeit unknowingly.) 

Adrien Agreste, a polite young man with only the best intentions. He smiles wide, but it rarely reaches his eyes. He's hungry all the time. He's quiet for a boy his age. He only speaks when someone talks to him, otherwise he'll just listen intently, never coming off as rude. 

Tom has met this boy quite a number of times and he's seen the way Marinette looks at him like he's the sun.

But when Tom looks at this boy, all he sees is himself when he was younger.

He has all the tells of a boy who craves validation, who seeks affection. 

Tom remembers an estranged father and an absent mother.

Tom doesn't get angry as Marinette finally starts crying. Sabine has her in her arms, and she takes Marinette to her room.

He can't find it in himself to be angry.

He's just sad. 

(It's not fair to get angry at someone who doesn't know what they've done. He knows Marinette would never say a thing. She's far too selfless, his little Ladybug.) 

* * *

He has a tray of croissants ready to take to Marinette's room (a little midnight snack to cheer her up, what Sabine doesn't know won't hurt her) when he hears the sounds of shuffling and then two pairs of footsteps hitting the ground.

Tom opens the trapdoor to her bedroom and sees Chat Noir hurriedly pushing away from his daughter's embrace.

"What's going on?" He asks.

He notices Marinette wiping her face. "Nothing, Baba. Chat Noir saw me crying on my balcony and came to cheer me up." She says with a small smile.

He takes a second to look around her room.

(No posters, no pictures, nothing.)

"I brought some food for a midnight snack, cupcake. You can share some with Chat Noir if you want." He places the tray on her chaise lounge.

"Thanks, Baba." She smiles at him, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.

He hugs his daughter. "Goodnight, ma belle. Goodnight, Chat Noir." He says, nodding at the leather-clad hero.

"Goodnight, Monsieur Dupain." His smile is weak, it doesn't reach his eyes.

Tom doesn't think twice, dragging Chat Noir to the hug as well.

(He ignores the shudders that run through the boy. He doesn't say a thing at the way Chat Noir tightens his hold.)

* * *

It takes a while until Marinette is back to her sunny disposition.

Tom has a feeling Chat Noir did a lot to help with that.

Call it a father's intuition, but he knows that boy has been coming over every night since he saw Marinette crying that one time.

He has to thank him.

* * *

One day, Marinette brings Adrien over along with Nino and Alya.

They eat lunch and have fun, and there is a lot more laughter on the Dupain-Cheng dining table.

Marinette talks to Adrien like a regular person. No more stuttering or turning red as they hold a conversation about merpeople of all things. Adrien looks absolutely delighted as Marinette playfully shoves his shoulder. He quips with a pun and Marinette's eyes look like they almost pop out of their sockets with how hard she rolls them. 

Marinette is healing.

Marinette is getting better.

That's all Tom could ever ask for.

Tom answers with puns himself, which bring an absurd amount of glee to Adrien's face, and Marinette (and the others, but mostly Marinette) is left to watch in abject horror as her father and her friend start punning at each other.

* * *

"She's not here right now. She went to sleep over at Alya's." He says by way of greeting as he opens Marinette's door to see Chat Noir.

"Oh." The hero says, leather ears drooping.

"Would you like to come down for some milk and cookies?"

It breaks his heart how much Chat Noir looks so hungry (almost desperate) at the mention of cookies and milk.

(Tom's noticed that he doesn't eat much. Not during that lunch from long ago. Sabine's commented on how thin Chat Noir was. Is he starving himself or does he just not have that much money to afford a filling meal?)

"I don't want to intrude, M. Dupain."

"Please, call me Tom, son."

Chat Noir winces at the term of address.

(His heart twinges.)

"You're not intruding, Chat Noir. I'm offering."

"W-well. If you're sure..."

"I am. Come on, we can play some Ultimate Mecha Strike too."

Chat Noir smiles at that. It's small, but it's a smile. "I'd like that."


End file.
